The Hokage discreetly stood up, sidling out of her office. There was no doubt that she hoped to escape paperwork while the two team mates made their tearful goodbye. Sasuke observed Tsunade's sheepish shrug, before she disappeared out the door. He then returned his focus to Naruto and Sakura. The blonde haired boy's comforting murmurs were insistent in his ear, possibly worse than his usual complaints. While the heart-felt scene dragged on, Sasuke searched for the trigger that caused these emotions in his gut. Was it the way Naruto held his team mate? Was it the way her body fit in a puzzle-like manner with Naruto's? Was it her short cropped hair trailing down her back, Naruto's fingers brushing the tips? Was it that the girl went to the demon-possessed boy for comfort instead of Sasuke, a young man who she had loved and adored from afar?
That, the Uchiha decided, was what really bothered him.
Centuries ago, the Uchiha established themselves in the then primitive village of Konoha. They saw opportunity, the opportunity to flourish in the untouched paradise of Konoha. The frontier none had marred, they were the pioneers. Thus, the Uchiha were an important part of Konoha as well as a powerful clan. They were regal, talented, and deadly. These were Sasuke's relatives, his parents and grandparents. They had instilled in him an importance, a confidence that could not be rivalled. He was important, he was good looking, and Sakura turned her back on him. Still, he knew it went deeper than that. It wasn't Naruto's demon-possessed body, much less his lack of style. It was Sasuke Uchiha who had driven away Sakura Haruno. He had betrayed her in favour of power, and he would pay for it. He was paying for every second as he watched the girl entangled in Naruto's arms, it made his usually calm stomach do jealous flip flops.
The kyuubi vessel seemed to notice Sasuke's calculating gaze had been riveted to him for some time, or rather to Sakura who was being coddled in his embrace. The way the Uchiha's fingers formed a steeple was unnerving, his lips curved in a grim line made it even more disturbing. What had gotten into the man, besides the fact he was stuck with a hyper active Hokage-wannabe and a dangerous woman with double personalities? As Sakura stirred in his grasp, Naruto carefully let her go. His fingers splayed over her slight shoulders, a blissful grin on his face as he spoke in a determined tone "Sakura, look at me. I mean it." Sakura lifted her chin, blinking back tears as she stared back at her determined team mate. Naruto's grip tightened gently on her shoulders, enforcing his orders "Go to Suna, kick Gaara-sama's ass in training, and come back with a ton of new techniques! And don't worry about me and Sasuke-teme here." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, displaying the brooding Uchiha "We'll help Gaara-sama's friend, BELIEVE IT! Maybe by the time she goes back to Suna, she'll be chunin! Or better yet, even JONIN!" [[a.n.: Can you 'believe it', I just tortured you all even further. I'm a firm believer in 'dattebayo'. End of comment. by now the boy had begun to bounce around the room, leaving Sakura to smile in a remorseful manner at the two boys. Goodbyes were so hard.
Naruto excused himself, more or less simply dropping his team mates, claiming Ramen was calling his name. Sasuke cursed the vile food under his breath, coaxing a snicker from Sakura as Naruto scurried away. This left the shinobi and the kunoichi alone in the Hokage's office, as to where the Hokage had ended up neither could say. Sakura fiddled with the zipper on her one time tunic, now shirt that brushed her pelvic bone. The sound irritated Sasuke beyond belief, far more than Naruto's comforting of his one-time fangirl. What was with people today, each and every one seemed to tick him off. Be it by confining him to a village with a woman who had double personalities, coddling his friend, or fiddling with a damn zipper. Though Sasuke was a man of few words, and still is, he took the initiative and addressed his team mate "So… hn… are you excited to see more of Suna?" Sakura's response consisted of a nod and a cautious statement "It will be nice to see the Kazekage again. Shall I send him your greetings?" Sasuke's gut began protesting, seeing this Gaara character as a threat. He had been one since the Chunin exams, when Sasuke had fought him, and apparently over time he had sobered up. Sasuke would believe that when he saw it, but at that moment he was more worried over Gaara being a threat to Sakura than a threat to him "Please.".
With that, Sasuke stood. The raven haired man turned his back on the girl, calling over his shoulder as he limbered his muscles "I doubt I'll be seeing much beyond the gates of Konoha, I realize you will be very busy absorbing as much information from the medics in Suna as you can possibly handle. Still, if you do have a spare moment, a letter would be nice." Sasuke's characteristic smirk curved his lips, practically hearing Sakura's jaw drop and Inner Sakura rioting in the kunoichi's brain. With that, he strode toward the entrance, only Sakura's exclamation stopped him in his tracks "Sasuke, wait." The nin could hear her soft footsteps, cat-like in nature from years of training, coming up behind him. When she was close enough that he could feel her breath on his neck, she wrapped her arms around his rib cage. She rested her head on his shoulder blade as she murmured "Goodbye, Sasuke, my friend." The picture the painted was heartfelt, much like when Sakura had begged a young Sasuke under the influence of Orochimaru's curse mark not to kill a Sound nin.
Sasuke's fingertips whispered over Sakura's hand, before pulling away as he left the office. She was not insistent on keeping him in her grasp, letting him walk away when he chose to. No longer did she want to cage him, she just wanted to be his friend. Sasuke allowed himself to smile, keeping the expression hidden from the girl as he replied "Goodbye, Sakura."
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Author's Note: Oh-hoho! Perhaps this ISN'T a Sasuke x OC fic. But you don't know yet, do you? I tried to leave Sasuke and Sakura at a friendly level, hinting at more. I'm a big fan of Sasuke x Sakura, so we'll see how it turns out. Next chapter, the crazy woman visits Konoha and Sasuke loses it [sexual tension…or frustration xD.